What Is the Best Way to Talk to My Child's Teacher?
With over 51 million students in our nation's schools, you will inevitably have some interaction with your child's teacher this school year.
Your child may occasionally come home and talk about what they learned or did at school or even something positive or negative about the teacher.
Or, on the other hand, your child may never say a word about school or home.
Whatever the situation may be, chances are that you will want to talk with your child's teacher at some point during this school year. There is no one way to interact and communicate with your child's teacher, but there is a right way depending on what you hope to accomplish.
What Can I Hope to Accomplish?
The right way to approach your child's teacher depends on what you hope to accomplish.
Do you simply want to ask questions specific to your child's behavior or progress in the class, or do you want specific feedback about how your child is doing in the class?
Either way, some ways will be the right way to communicate with the teacher.
If You Want General Information or Feedback
If you simply want to ask questions or get feedback about your child's behavior or progress in this class this year, my experience indicates that there are 2 main categories of communication with teachers.
The first is general communication where you are looking for information about your child's behavior or progress, but not specific feedback.
The second is if you want specific feedback about how your child may be doing in the class. In this case, I suggest that you set up a meeting with the teacher as soon as possible after school starts.
The Right Way to Ask Questions or Get Information from Your Child's Teacher
If you simply want some general information or feedback on your child's behavior or progress in class, h
Here are a couple of suggestions on how to approach communication with your child's teacher:
Keep it Short and Sweet
In both face-to-face communication and phone conversations, keep this type of conversation as short as possible.
If you start to ramble, the teacher may feel that you are looking for their sympathy or simply don't know what to do about your child.
I suggest that you be clear and concise about whatever issues you want feedback on.
It's okay if this type of communication is not very frequent. You can always call back later in the school year or communicate via email.
Keeping it short and sweet is the right way to accomplish your goals in this type of communication with the teacher.
The Right Way to Get Specific Feedback about Your Child's Behavior or Progress
If you want specific feedback about how your child may be doing in school this year, I suggest that you set up a meeting as soon as possible after school starts.
Again, keep your goal of the meeting clear and concise. It may be tough to focus on this goal when you first meet with the teacher but stick to it!
I suggest that you ask specific questions about your child's behavior or progress and what steps you can take to help them do better.
When you set up the meeting, I suggest that you communicate the goal of this meeting to the teacher and see if a mutually agreeable time works for both of you. Be sure to send a follow-up thank-you note after talking with the teacher. It's always nice to show appreciation.
What If My Child Is Not Having a Good School Year?
There are many different reasons why your child may not be having a good school year.
In this case, I suggest that you ask specific questions and get specific feedback during your meeting with the teacher. Establishing a plan for all to follow to ensure goals are met will help keep lines of communication open.
You may not always get the responses you want but, it's important to keep communication lines open so that your child can succeed in school.
It's okay if you don't agree with everything the teacher says about your child.
The goal of the meeting is not to win but for your child to succeed in school. This can only happen if communication lines are open between parents and teachers. I truly hope that this article helps you communicate with your child's teacher as often as necessary to ensure your child has a successful year at school.
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Here’s a great resource that you can print to help your child communicate and assess how they did during their day in preschool.
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